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Survivor Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers Power Rankings: Week 12

Each week during this season of Survivor, I’ll be ranking the castaways in terms of best chance to win the game. Last week, Lauren was voted off after being ranked No. 2 of the seven remaining players.

Week 12 Power Rankings: 

1. Ben (Last week: 3): Everyone wants Ben out of the game, and yet none of them seem to be able to do it. Now, with Lauren gone, does Ben actually have an opening to make something happen? There are two strong pairs — Chrissy/Ryan and Ashley/Devon. So it feels like Ben and Dr. Mike are suddenly in the middle. If Ben and Dr. Mike can team up, they potentially could have a say in how the final three ends up — which would allow Ben to pull off an improbable victory after everyone gunned for him in the final weeks.

2. Devon (Last week: 1): Losing Lauren was a major blow to Devon’s chances of winning this season. Now he’s down to a tight alliance with Ashley, is on the outs with former ally Ryan and saw his once-great bond with Ben dissolve. So now what? He needs to rally and do some damage control. Devon can win if he gets to the final three, but he can’t let Ben get there with him.

3. Ryan (Last week: 5): It’s certainly not looking great for Ryan, but he’s hanging around and still has an outside shot if things fall the right way. I can almost see his game being somewhat similar to Adam, who won a few seasons ago in part because the bigger threats kept taking shots at each other.

4. Chrissy (Last week: 6): I’m still down on Chrissy, although her chances certainly improved with the shocking Lauren elimination. But she’s taking things too personally and not playing with her head on straight, so it might be too late to craft enough of a resume to where the jury would recognize her game as winner-worthy. Would she be willing to work with Ben for one vote?

5. Mike (Last week: 7): You can never count out Dr. Mike, as he reminded us once again in the most recent episode. But here’s the thing: Has he really done enough to win? Aside from being unpredictable, like throwing Lauren’s idol in the fire (#wow), what is he really doing strategy-wise that would result in the $1 million? I think he could get to the final three, but there’s little chance he could actually win.

6. Ashley (Last week: 4): Lauren’s departure might hurt Ashley more than anyone. Now she has no choice but to play second fiddle to whatever Devon decides, and there aren’t any big moves she can orchestrate by herself. Even if she wins out on the rest of the immunity challenges, the jury isn’t going to reward her with the Sole Survivor title.

 

Eliminated: 

Week 1: Katrina (ranked No. 6 of 18 remaining players)

Week 2: Simone (ranked No. 17 of 17 remaining players)

Week 3: Patrick (ranked No. 16 of 16 remaining players)

Week 4: Alan (ranked No. 13 of 15 remaining players)

Week 5: Roark (ranked No. 10 of 14 remaining players)

Week 6: Ali (ranked No. 5 of 13 remaining players)

Week 7: Jessica (ranked No. 9 of 12 remaining players)

Week 8: Desi (ranked No. 8 of 11 remaining players)

Week 9: Cole (ranked No. 10 of 10 remaining players)

Week 10: JP (ranked No. 9 of nine remaining players) and then Joe (ranked No. 7 of nine remaining players going into the double episode)

Week 11: Lauren (ranked No. 2 of seven remaining players)

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Survivor Healers vs. Heroes vs. Hustlers Power Rankings: Week 11

Each week during this season of Survivor, I’ll be ranking the castaways in terms of best chance to win the game. Last week, JP (No. 9 of nine remaining players) and Joe (No. 7) were voted off in a double episode.

Week 11 Power Rankings: 

1. Devon (Last week: 2): He snuck up on me this year, but the surfer dude is one smart bro and now takes over the top spot for the first time. He orchestrated both of the moves in last week’s episode and claimed to be “sitting in the best possible seat in the game.” Sometimes those comments come back to bite players, but I believe this one. Devon’s plan to split the vote and then tell Joe to vote Ben — while getting Ben to act like he was doomed — was next-level stuff. Now, can he keep it up?

2. Lauren (Last week: 1): She has some really strong play going right now. Lauren has worked well with Ben all season, but you can see she’s not just going to ride that alliance — she was already seen talking with Ashley about when to flip on Ben. So it really seems like the Lauren/Devon/Ashley show at the moment, and Lauren also has the extra vote in her pocket.

3. Ben (Last week: 3): You can see how this is going, and Ben’s alliance already sees he’s a threat with a great story — which means they’re getting ready to come for him. Unfortunately, he won’t make it to the final three. If he somehow does, he will win (and his competitors fully realize that, which is why he’s in trouble).

4. Ashley (Last week: 8): Last week, Ashley showed us she’s not done yet. “I feel like I’m finally playing Survivor,” she said. “I honestly feel like this is my game to lose.” I wouldn’t go that far, but she’s certainly on the right side of the numbers for now. If she can keep herself in the game without being a target, she’ll end up in the final three thanks to her link with Lauren and Devon (but she won’t win).

5. Ryan (Last week: 4): I really don’t see how he escapes this situation. Devon isn’t going to suddenly return to trusting him, and Chrissy is all Ryan really has left. He tried to pitch to Mike last week and it was met with deaf ears, so they’re not really on the same page. It’s been fun to watch Ryan, but I can’t see him pulling it out.

6. Chrissy (Last week: 5): If she somehow makes it to the end, it will be a James Bond-style escape. Honestly, it’s been disappointing to watch her game fall apart. As I’ve mentioned the last few weeks, she was No. 1 in the rankings for awhile but got too cocky and comfortable, and now she’s potentially the next person headed home if she doesn’t pull out another immunity win. If she comes back to play another season, I hope she learns from her mistakes in relying too much on her alliance and letting off the gas, because she’s obviously a very smart player and capable of winning.

7. Mike (Last week: 6): He seems to vote in whatever direction is necessary to keep himself alive, which is why he might stick around a couple more weeks (and potentially outlast Ryan and Chrissy). However, his chances of actually winning are all but gone at this point.

Eliminated: 

Week 1: Katrina (ranked No. 6 of 18 remaining players)

Week 2: Simone (ranked No. 17 of 17 remaining players)

Week 3: Patrick (ranked No. 16 of 16 remaining players)

Week 4: Alan (ranked No. 13 of 15 remaining players)

Week 5: Roark (ranked No. 10 of 14 remaining players)

Week 6: Ali (ranked No. 5 of 13 remaining players)

Week 7: Jessica (ranked No. 9 of 12 remaining players)

Week 8: Desi (ranked No. 8 of 11 remaining players)

Week 9: Cole (ranked No. 10 of 10 remaining players)

Week 10: JP (ranked No. 9 of nine remaining players) and then Joe (ranked No. 7 of nine remaining players going into the double episode)

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Survivor Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers Power Rankings: Week 10

Each week during this season of Survivor, I’ll be ranking the castaways in terms of best chance to win the game. Last week, Cole was voted off after being ranked No. 10 of the 10 remaining players.

Week 10 Power Rankings: 

1. Lauren (Last week: 2): As all the frontrunners keep making mistakes (Ryan telling too many people about his idol, Chrissy getting too cocky, Ben being too bossy), Lauren’s chances improve. She’s tight with Ben, and now Devon is in their mini-alliance; she also has an extra vote to use when she wants. Obviously she’s playing quietly and under the radar, but that only helps her chances of reaching the end.

2. Devon (Last week: 5): I’m putting him up high for the same reason as Lauren — I’m frustrated with Ben, Ryan and Chrissy making mistakes right now and am starting to doubt their long-term chances. Devon wisely chose to team with Ben after hearing about Ryan’s big mouth, and can you blame him?

3. Ben (Last week: 4): Still the best of the frontrunners, but I didn’t like how he was being so controlling of the vote and not listening to others. That “chief” label has burned many players.

4. Ryan (Last week: 1): He’s going to have to scramble now that he broke Devon’s trust (and doesn’t even realize it yet). But his game was always going to be about scrambling, so he still has a shot.

5. Chrissy (Last week: 3): She just seems way too comfortable with the seven-person alliance. I don’t feel like she’s playing a winning game right now. Ben has slipped away to be tighter with Lauren, and who does she really have aside from Ryan? Plus, I’m still stunned she didn’t count the votes correctly last week when Lauren used the advantage. She’s supposed to be a math whiz!

6. Mike (Last week: 6): Really, Mike? REALLY? He talked like he was making this game-altering move…and then he totally misplayed his idol. Just wasted it! And he apparently flopped in trying to draw more votes his way, which made people mad in the process. I feel like perhaps he just got too antsy and impatient; maybe if he waited a few more days, cracks would have formed in the seven-person alliance.

7. Joe (Last week: 8): C’mon. No one is going to vote for Joe to win a million bucks at this point. He might get dragged to the final three, but I can’t picture him winning after making so many people mad.

8. Ashley (Last week: 7): I felt bad for her after Joe called her out as being a goat, but…dang, he’s kind of right. What is Ashley doing strategically to win the game? Not much that we’re seeing. She’s sort of becoming a floater as the alliance cruises along, and I can’t see that being rewarded in the end if she doesn’t make some big moves.

9. JP (Last week: 9): Hello? JP? You know you’re still out on the island, right? You can start playing now. Annnnnytime now.

Eliminated: 

Week 1: Katrina (ranked No. 6 of 18 remaining players)

Week 2: Simone (ranked No. 17 of 17 remaining players)

Week 3: Patrick (ranked No. 16 of 16 remaining players)

Week 4: Alan (ranked No. 13 of 15 remaining players)

Week 5: Roark (ranked No. 10 of 14 remaining players)

Week 6: Ali (ranked No. 5 of 13 remaining players)

Week 7: Jessica (ranked No. 9 of 12 remaining players)

Week 8: Desi (ranked No. 8 of 11 remaining players)

Week 9: Cole (ranked No. 10 of 10 remaining players)

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Survivor Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers Power Rankings: Week 9

Each week during this season of Survivor, I’ll be ranking the castaways in terms of best chance to win the game. Last week, Desi was voted off after being ranked No. 8 of the 11 remaining players.

Week 9 Power Rankings: 

1. Ryan (Last week: 1): Guess who is playing the best game the last few weeks and now has an idol to go along with it? I’m feeling better about Ryan’s chances as Ben and Chrissy show cracks in their game.

2. Lauren (Last week: 5): It’s pretty clear there’s a Ryan-Chrissy alliance and a Lauren-Ben alliance now, and Lauren made a good move with her voting advantage last week. By the way, how in the world did the other players not notice there were only 10 votes cast instead of 11? Math genius Chrissy? Hello??

3. Chrissy (Last week: 3): Keeping her at No. 3 against my better judgment. She’s shown some serious cracks in her game recently. I wish she’d stop playing so cocky and doing things like whispering in front of other players. She is smart, but now everyone knows she’s smart. Fortunately, she has a strong alliance to keep her safe for now.

4. Ben (Last week: 2): He’s getting sidetracked by being drawn into yelling matches on the beach with Joe. I understand why he wanted to defend himself, but how often do you see Survivor winners engaged in such antics? It typically doesn’t work out well.

5. Devon (Last week: 4): He’s playing a solid game and I don’t see him being a target anytime in the next couple weeks. The key for Devon is to stay under the radar as long as possible.

6. Mike (Last week: 6): He flipped on Joe/Desi — along with Cole — and seems desperate to integrate himself into the majority alliance. Perhaps he has done that now, but he’s still probably on the bottom — though he does have that idol.

7. Ashley (Last week: 7): There’s no reason to get rid of Ashley at this time, so she’ll probably continue to stick around. That said, what’s her long-term future in the game?

8. Joe (Last week: 9): Joe is pretty much screwed. Even Dr. Mike and Cole flipped on him last week. However, Joe as a wild card could still make something happen, and he could find another idol. I’m not ruling out some more craziness before he gets the boot.

9. JP (Last week: 10): Here’s how clueless JP is about what’s happening in the game: He sees Ryan frantically digging in the sand and walks by like it’s no big deal. He will probably make the final three but get no votes.

10. Cole (Last week: 11): This bum finds a clue to the idol, leaves the plate for other people to find (under a napkin!) and then immediately takes a potty break after he gets back to camp. Then he pretends to have found it after the wrestling battle in the sand. Why?! This guy…ugh.

Eliminated: 

Week 1: Katrina (ranked No. 6 of 18 remaining players)

Week 2: Simone (ranked No. 17 of 17 remaining players)

Week 3: Patrick (ranked No. 16 of 16 remaining players)

Week 4: Alan (ranked No. 13 of 15 remaining players)

Week 5: Roark (ranked No. 10 of 14 remaining players)

Week 6: Ali (ranked No. 5 of 13 remaining players)

Week 7: Jessica (ranked No. 9 of 12 remaining players)

Week 8: Desi (ranked No. 8 of 11 remaining players)

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Survivor Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers Power Rankings: Week 8

Each week during this season of Survivor, I’ll be ranking the castaways in terms of best chance to win the game. Last week, Jessica was voted off after being ranked No. 9 of the 12 remaining players.

Week 8 Power Rankings: 

1. Ryan (Last week: 2): Ryan is making the same moves as Chrissy, but yet he’s not being talked about or viewed as a target like she is. And now he’s in the majority alliance with good numbers — and has bigger targets with him, to boot.

2. Ben (Last week: 3): He was briefly in the middle, but now Ben has shown his cards by going against Yawa and siding with the majority Chrissy/Ryan alliance. That should protect him for weeks to come, because Chrissy seems determined to work with him and she’s actually a bigger target than he is.

3. Chrissy (Last week: 1): This is the most concerned I’ve been about Chrissy’s long-term game. She showed herself to be too smart last week, which got her a ton of votes, and then she was openly talking game with Ben at a group setting where he was basically trying to shush her. I hope she doesn’t get too cocky and sink her own game by becoming a target.

4. Devon (Last week: 6): He ended up in the majority alliance and showed he is willing to be a leader and make moves (there was one scene where he was sort of rallying the troops). Since he gets along well with people and isn’t a target, he could slip under the radar as bigger threats go home.

5. Lauren (Last week: 8): Even though she’s probably on the bottom of the new majority alliance, Lauren should be safe for a few more weeks now. And that might give her time to make some more inroads and relationships with her new group.

6. Mike (Last week: 4): It’s going to be pretty tough for Mike at this point since he doesn’t have the numbers anymore, but I’ll rank him the highest of those in the minority alliance because he seems like a guy who can scramble (and he still has an idol).

7. Ashley (Last week: 7): She ended up on the majority alliance in the merged tribe. That’s great for her and she’ll probably last a few more weeks, at least. But I don’t see her playing the type of game that would be rewarded by the jury in the end.

8. Desi (Last week: 10): Hey, she won immunity. Nice work! This is the highest she’s been in the rankings all year. But I still don’t see her making it to the end, especially now that she is in the smaller alliance. She seems full of surprises, though.

9. Joe (Last week: 5): Welp, Joe is back down the rankings after misplaying his idol and exposing himself as a target yet again. Now he has no protection and is in the minority alliance. I would guess they will come for him soon.

10. JP (Last week: 11): He ended up with the numbers because he’s a loyal guy, but I’m still keeping him toward the bottom of the rankings because he’s simply not playing the type of game that would result in him winning in the end. No jury would go, “Yeah J.P., we’ll give you the money.”

11. Cole (Last week: 12): This guy. Ugh…

Eliminated: 

Week 1: Katrina (ranked No. 6 of 18 remaining players)

Week 2: Simone (ranked No. 17 of 17 remaining players)

Week 3: Patrick (ranked No. 16 of 16 remaining players)

Week 4: Alan (ranked No. 13 of 15 remaining players)

Week 5: Roark (ranked No. 10 of 14 remaining players)

Week 6: Ali (ranked No. 5 of 13 remaining players)

Week 7: Jessica (ranked No. 9 of 12 remaining players)

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Survivor Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers Power Rankings: Week 7

Each week during this season of Survivor, I’ll be ranking the castaways in terms of best chance to win the game. Last week, Ali was voted off after being ranked No. 5 of the 13 remaining players.

Week 7 Power Rankings: 

1. Chrissy (Last week: 3): Ryan got the blood on his hands with the Ali mess while Chrissy stayed out of it. Meanwhile, she goes into the merge with three loyal allies — Ryan, Ben and now JP — and won’t be viewed as a physical threat. Watch out, everyone!

2. Ryan (Last week: 2): Ryan did not handle the Ali situation well, and I question his moves the last couple weeks. That said, the self-described “friggin’ weasel” won’t be a target early in the merge and now has time to work some magic.

3. Ben (Last week: 1): Now that the merge is here, I’m worried he could be viewed as a physical threat and get booted. I don’t think that’s the case because of his social relationships, but it’s concerning enough to drop him a couple spots.

4. Mike (Last week: 4): Mike is pushing himself (he caught a small fish!) and also playing a smart game. He has an idol and a couple strong allies, and he also won’t be targeted as a physical threat in the post-merge game.

5. Joe (Last week: 10): I’ve been hot and cold on Joe all year, but he is dangerous and can play hard in the merged tribe now — especially since he has an idol. At the same time, he could also get voted off any week.

6. Devon (Last week: 6): How will Devon fare in the post-merge tribe. He’s got Ashley and Ryan, to be sure. Can he end up in the majority?

7. Ashley (Last week: 8): I’m not sure how strong of a position she’ll be in on the merged tribe. If Devon can bring her into a Chrissy/Ryan/JP alliance, though, she could last for awhile.

8. Lauren (Last week: 9): She’s not playing a bad game, but where will she fall in the post-merge alliances? That’s my biggest worry for her at the moment.

9. Jessica (Last week: 7): It feels like she’s ultimately going to get dragged down by Cole somehow. I wish she’d just forget him and play the game for herself.

10. Desi (Last week: 11): A couple people have mentioned I’m underestimating her, but I just don’t see her chances as being very strong. And in the post-merge tribe, will she have the numbers?

11. JP (Last week: 12): JP continues to play the “provider” game, but that’s all out the window now in the merged tribe. Now he’s just a physical threat who doesn’t know the game very well, although Chrissy and Ryan may carry him to the final three.

12. Cole (Last week: 13): He catches a fish and doesn’t share the fish. It just shows the type of player he is, although it’s getting to the point where the tribe might go after bigger targets (since they know he won’t win).

Eliminated: 

Week 1: Katrina (ranked No. 6 of 18 remaining players)

Week 2: Simone (ranked No. 17 of 17 remaining players)

Week 3: Patrick (ranked No. 16 of 16 remaining players)

Week 4: Alan (ranked No. 13 of 15 remaining players)

Week 5: Roark (ranked No. 10 of 14 remaining players)

Week 6: Ali (ranked No. 5 of 13 remaining players)

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Survivor Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers Power Rankings: Week 6

Each week during this season of Survivor, I’ll be ranking the castaways in terms of best chance to win the game. Last week, Roark was voted off after being ranked No. 10 of the 14 remaining players.

Week 6 Power Rankings: 

1. Ben (Last week: 4): He didn’t show anything strategically in the last episode to get him moved up, it’s just more that the top three — Ryan, Chrissy and Ali — left me a bit more uncertain about their long-term prospects.

2. Ryan (Last week: 1): Look, Ryan did the right thing by keeping his ally Chrissy in the game — even at the risk of angering Ali. Hopefully he can mend fences with Ali. If not, he made a huge mistake by not getting Ali on board with the Roark vote. Never blindside your own allies. How will he explain this one?

3. Chrissy (Last week: 2): Ryan saved her this time, and I still really believe in her long-term game. But she can’t have too many more close calls like that.

4. Mike (Last week: 5): You can never underestimate Dr. Mike! That’s according to Dr. Mike, anyway. And heck, he found the immunity idol and formed more of a bond with Jessica. All good news!

5. Ali (Last week: 3): It was harsh news to Ali to find out ally Ryan didn’t vote with her when she wanted Chrissy out. This next episode is crucial to see how she moves on from that.

6. Devon (Last week: 6): It’s the Ashley/Devon show over on the blue tribe, but we’ll see what happens in a two-two split. Would they really go to rocks?

7. Jessica (Last week: 11): She’s starting to move up the ladder. I was impressed that she was willing to work with Dr. Mike and they found the idol together. If she doesn’t rely on Cole for everything, it could be helpful for her game in the long run.

8. Ashley (Last week: 8): It’s good that she and Devon are on the same page, and if they could get Joe out, it would be a major accomplishment. But they’ll probably need to pull in Desi to do that, and I don’t know if they can.

9. Lauren (Last week: 7): She didn’t do anything wrong, but I don’t really feel like she has a great alliance with anyone (the kind that would protect her if she really became a target).

10. Joe (Last week: 9): Look, Joe is very smart. But I’m not sure he can successfully play like Tony all the way to the end. That’s why I’m going to keep him lower in the rankings for now.

11. Desi (Last week: 12): We just don’t see much of Desi on the show. It’s hard to know if she’s making any moves, but I don’t think she is.

12. JP (Last week: 13): Each week, JP is sort of just…there. You have to play strategically in order to win.

13. Cole (Last week: 14): The spoon-licker with gross habits and a huge mouth isn’t going to win.

Eliminated: 

Week 1: Katrina (ranked No. 6 of 18 remaining players)

Week 2: Simone (ranked No. 17 of 17 remaining players)

Week 3: Patrick (ranked No. 16 of 16 remaining players)

Week 4: Alan (ranked No. 13 of 15 remaining players)

Week 5: Roark (ranked No. 10 of 14 remaining players)